零度 Reido
by Ashikaga-chan417
Summary: My name is Heiwajima Zero. Heiwajima Shizuo is my older brother, and Heiwajima Kasuka is my younger brother. And they were the ones who made me worth something. My name is Heiwajima Reido. Am I really worth something? I lost myself. And Orihara Izaya is the fool who brought me back.
1. Prologue

Sometimes, when I am alone, I can remember my mother.

She liked to smile.

She was beautiful when she smiled.

My mother sometimes told me that I could make choices of my own. I didn't have to let others make my own choices.

My mother told me that someday, her family would come to meet me. It was inevitable, she told me.

My mother said that I didn't have to be scared. It was in my blood to not be scared. To never cower from the face of battle. To never turn away from a fight.

I was only three when she told me that.

Looking back on it, I'm glad that my mother told me those words.

Otherwise I'd have never survived.

I was four when she was killed.

Four when I was brought to my father, who had never known of my existence, and had a wife of his own and two sons.

To them, I didn't have a name. The shock of losing my mother supposedly made me forget it.

I was only four, so it was believable.

My stepmother resented me.

I was her husband's child. A child that was born from a single, drunken night.

A child that wasn't supposed to exist.

A child that meant nothing to her.

On the condition that she pick my new name, I would be allowed to live with my father's family.

The name she picked me was fitting on how I was nothing to her.

Nothing.

No quantity of worth.

ゼロ

Zero.

平和島 ゼロ

Heiwajima Zero.

In the Heiwajima family, I stuck out.

Instead of brown hair and dark eyes, I had crimson red hair and scarlet red eyes.

All the signs that I did not belong.

I met my two half-brothers.

静雄, Shizuo, a year older than me.

かすか, Kasuka, a year younger than me.

Shizuo was curious.

Kasuka was too young to really understand.

I rarely interacted with them, opting to stay in my room.

Japan was an unfamiliar place. I missed home.

I missed my mother.

I would have always stayed in my room before Shizuo reached out to me, deciding to take things into his own, small hands.

Shizuo told me that I was his sister now, and I could do nothing to change it. He told me that though I may be nothing to his mother, I was something to him. Therefore, he would not call me Zero.

Another way to write zero in kanji.

零度

Reido.

平和島 零度

Heiwajima Reido.

I remember that day clearly. The day Shizuo accepted me as his sister and gave me a name to show that I was worth something to him. I was his sister, and I grew to accept him as my brother.

Young Kasuka also adopted Shizuo's way of calling me Reido, and I accepted him as my brother too.

They were my brothers, and nothing would change that.

I eventually realized that I was strangely different.

When I watched a video of martial arts, I found myself able to carefully watch the movements and copy it. Shizuo and Kasuka found it amazing.

I found it a bit odd.

I remembered how my mother said it was in my blood to never turn away from a fight. Perhaps this was something relating to that.

The more I thought about it, the more I grew curious about who my mother's family was.

I remembered how my mother told me not to be afraid of her family, and I wondered why I would have to be afraid of them.

On days when I missed my mother the most, I would stay in my room, staring out my window, lost in thought. Shizuo and Kasuka seemed to understand and kept their distance.

On those days, I immersed myself in the stories my mother told me.

The three guardian spirits of her family.

襟, the spirit known as Eri.

守る, the spirit known as Mamoru.

くま, the spirit known as Kuma.

My mother told me that the three spirits watched over her family for generations. Sometimes, they would choose to possess a vessel wielded by a member of her family that impressed the spirits. But that had not happened in centuries, as the vessels that held them were lost.

The loss of the three spirits caused the downfall of her family, my mother told me. It is because of that loss that her family is the way they are now.

I didn't understand then.

I do now.

My mother explained that the spirit Eri was a spirit of offensive nature, responsible for attacking any enemies of her family. The spirit Mamoru was a spirit of defensive nature, responsible for protecting her family against attacks. The spirit Kuma was the spirit that was the strongest, with unknown power that helped my mother's family thrive and flourish.

I remembered that, on only one occasion, my mother told me about her two siblings.

She never told me their names.

All I knew was that she had an older brother that greatly respected family tradition more than his own family and a younger sister who looked up to her in a way that my mother believed she didn't deserve.

I had always wished that my mother could have had a better life.

When I told her that, my mother said that I shouldn't think like that. She said that I shouldn't focus on the past and instead focus on the present.

Better to dwell on what you can do right now instead of what you couldn't do in the past, she said.

That quote had always been one of my favorites.

It wasn't until later when I discovered where she found it.

As time inched by, I began to enjoy this new lifestyle with Shizuo and Kasuka. Perhaps I could get used to it and fully adapt to it. Maybe I could finally be accepted by Shizuo and Kasuka's mother. Maybe I could truly be a part of this family.

I never got the chance.

My mother's family came to meet me, just like she had said.


	2. Foreword

My mother had described them right.

Her siblings.

The brother who respected family tradition more than his own family and a sister who admired her in a way my mother believed she didn't deserve.

赤白 舌古, Akashiro Zekko, my mother's older brother by eight years.

赤白 悩み, Akashiro Nayami, my mother's younger sister by four years.

They were part of the Akashiro family, a large, extended family with roots extending to both China, Vietnam, and Japan.

They both had my crimson red hair and scarlet red eyes.

Zekko-san found and took custody of me when I was six. I was permitted to visit Shizuo and Kasuka only because I had asked.

I could only visit them twice a year.

The day Zekko-san took me away from Shizuo and Kasuka, I hugged them. Shizuo said that we would meet again, and Kasuka said because of that, there was no need to be sad. I told them that I was only sad because I would not be able to spend as much time with them.

Zekko-san brought me to his family. He always spoke in hushed but formal tones. I noticed that he would sometimes cast disdainful glances at me.

I didn't know why at the time.

I met Nayami-san. She was gentler than Zekko-san. She knelt down to be at eye level with me, while Zekko-san would always look down on me. The way she spoke lacked the formality that Zekko-san always had.

I liked her more than Zekko-san.

It was a shame, because Zekko-san would be my guardian, not Nayami-san.

I was introduced to the Akashiro lifestyle.

I remembered my mother's words. How it was in my blood not to turn away from battle. How I shouldn't be scared when I met her family.

I understood what she meant.

Because all the members of the Akashiro family were paid to kill.

And as my mother was an Akashiro, I was to follow that lifestyle.

It was in my blood after all.

It was harsh.

Being an Akashiro required grueling training.

Traditions had been passed down through the generations.

An Akashiro needed to be able to resist pain. They needed to be able to get up and fight, and would never turn away from battle. They refused to die in any way besides a fight.

I hated this lifestyle.

Zekko-san oversaw my training.

He pushed me. I went past my limits and often collapsed. Zekko-san would scorn me, and I was enraged to the point where I would get up and keep on going.

It wasn't until I overworked myself to the point of falling dangerously ill that Nayami-san yelled at Zekko-san, and the harshness of the trainings decreased slightly.

The first time I visited Shizuo and Kasuka, they instantly knew something was wrong.

How could they not?

My eyes had lost the spark of life.

And in that one day of interaction, they brought it back, and I was their sister again.

Training made me lose that spark again, and when I visited them, they brought it back.

I grew to love those visits with every ounce of my being.

Six months after having been taken by Zekko-san, I made my first kill.

I wasn't sure if I would ever feel happy again.

Zekko-san told me he was proud of my progress.

I knew he was lying.

Nayami-san told me she was sorry.

I wish she said more than that.

When I was seven, I met other members of the Akashiro family. Second, third cousins. Distant relatives who all bore the red hair and red eyes.

All were well trained in the Akashiro way of life.

Some tolerated me.

Others seemed to hate my existence the moment they laid eyes on me.

Nayami-san eventually told me why.

Zekko-san, my mother, and her were part of the main line of the Akashiro family. They descended from the heads of the family, and Zekko-san was the current head. My mother would have been the next one if anything happened to Zekko-san, and Nayami-san if anything happened to my mother.

Someday, I would have to be the next head.

And all the members of the Akashiro family hated the fact that I was a child from a mistake. Not from marriage.

Members of the Akashiro family carefully chose their spouses. They valued strength and sought to find a spouse that could fulfill their needs.

Nayami-san told me that when my mother became pregnant, Zekko-san tried to convince her to get rid of me. My mother refused, and so as to not tarnish the family even more, she left in self-exile.

Nayami-san told me that Zekko-san blamed me for the death of his sister. She told me that even though Zekko-san valued family tradition above all else, he still cared for his family.

It seemed he did not consider me as family.

I didn't mind, because I never saw him as family.

One time, when I was peering around the household of the Akashiro family, I stumbled across a family picture. It was taken years ago, because this picture had my mother in it. She was probably fifteen at the time, four years before she had me.

The picture was Zekko-san, my mother, and Nayami-san, all poised formally.

I hadn't seen my mother in so long. I felt a weight on my chest when I looked at her.

It hurt.

My longing for my mother increased.

But as a result of my training, I suppressed those feelings and focused on getting stronger.

I continued to visit Shizuo and Kasuka. They noticed that I was more subdued than the last time they had seen me, and it was harder for them to make me happy. I knew they worried. The thought that I was worrying them hurt.

Taking a piece of memory I kept close, I told them that they gave me worth, and I would always be their sister.

The next year, I visited them on my eighth birthday. They were happy, with that emotion being infectious. I couldn't help but indulge in the celebration.

Kasuka gave me a gift.

A plain white scarf.

Kasuka told me that he had made the scarf himself. I could tell, because the stitches were crooked.

I told him I loved it.

Kasuka smiled, and I felt an emotion I associated with happiness.

I hadn't felt that emotion in a while.

I was happy.


	3. Prelude

April 7.

2002.

That was the day that I made history in the Akashiro family.

It was also the day that the hatred members of the Akashiro bore toward me grew ten times fiercer.

I was nine.

I had taken a job the Akashiro were hired to do.

All I had to do was take out a hidden crime boss and his group in the city of Yokohama.

The pay was nice, so I took it before anyone else could.

By this time in my life, I was recognized as a clear prodigy in the work of the Akashiro. Some accepted it easily. Others only grudgingly accepted me.

I already had a high kill count.

Shizuo and Kasuka grew concerned for me. I was changing, and they didn't know why. They didn't know what was going on, and I envied their ignorance and innocence.

Sometimes I wonder if I could envy something I never had.

The job that I was on wasn't any different than the jobs I had taken in the past. I had killed more people on other jobs.

Nayami-san brought me to Yokohama and wished me luck.

I hated it when she said that.

I was someone who had nothing but bad luck.

I found the group's base and took them out without a problem. I was using two pistols, a long dagger, and a katana I had developed high proficiency with.

What was peculiar was the object the group had in their possession.

A stone box with a single character carved onto the top.

襟

Eri.

The moment I saw that character, I remember myself numb with shock. It couldn't be possible. Surely it was just a phony, a fake.

It couldn't be the guardian spirit of the Akashiro family. The spirit that attacked enemies of the Akashiro.

The Eri from the stories my mother told me.

Though it felt so fake, I could fell the box vibrating subtly. I wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't paying attention.

There had been a strange energy around the box. An energy that felt harsh and filled me with the desire to lash out at any living thing around me.

I wondered how to open the box. It was stone, with no openings. When I touched the carving, it stung slightly, as if Eri was lashing out at me.

It made sense.

For an offensive spirit like Eri, it was natural that they would attack anything.

I wondered how long it had been in that box.

How had they even gotten in there?

The longer I stood there, the more I grew to pity the spirit in the box.

They were trapped, unable to do anything or escape the wretched darkness that surrounded it.

Just like me.

I remember laughing at myself.

Eri would probably have hated me for pitying them.

But to my surprise, the carving on the box grew warm. It no longer stung me, and I held it closer, curious.

I whispered to it, "Are you in there? Eri?"

The warmth in the carving fluctuated, growing cold and then warm as if responding to me.

I held the box closer. I observed the character on the box.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I wish you could be free. No living being should have a fate like this."

The carving grew warmer this time. The harsh energy around the box faded, growing more favorable.

The best way to describe it was kind.

The only time I had even experienced an energy like this was with Shizuo and Kasuka.

Eri, one of the guardians of the Akashiro, was kind to me?  
At the time, I found it extremely hard to believe.

As I held the box, I heard a voice in my head.

 _How sad._

A female voice. A voice devoid of malice. A voice that held pity, sorrow, but also understanding.

 _It's been too long since I've met an Akashiro._

Ah.

 _But you, child, are different._

Different? In what way?

As if reading my thoughts, Eri answered.

 _You don't define yourself as an Akashiro. You lack the bloodlust that Akashiro are born with. I wonder why?_

I did? But Zekko-san had always told me I was a natural-born assassin.

 _Child. You shouldn't listen to what you're guardian tells you. For that you are you. Nothing else._

I didn't realize that I was crying. No one had ever told me this. Not even Shizuo and Kasuka.

I heard the voice lightly laugh. It was a beautiful laugh. It reminded me of my mother. Genuinely happy, but genuinely sad at the same time.

It made me nostalgic.

 _That scarf of yours._

I instinctively reached for it. "Kasuka gave it to me," I murmured.

 _You care for your brother greatly. Is that scarf something you treasure greatly?_

I nodded in reply.

 _I see._

The energy around the box grew welcoming. I held it closer.

"I wish you were free," I whispered. "You should be free."

That's when the box cracked.

It startled me for a moment. I stared at the crack that split through the carving of Eri's name.

Another crack.

And then the box completely crumbled in my hands, and a bright white light lit up the room.

Looking back on it, I found it difficult to remember what Eri had looked like the moment she emerged from that box. I could only remember that bright, blinding light and an ethereal being forming in front of me.

I think she smiled when she held out her hand.

I stared at Eri, free at last from the confines of her prison.

 _Child._

I was at a loss for words. It was as if I had forgotten how to speak. I could only nod as she spoke.

 _Would you allow me to inhabit an object that you cherish? The scarf that you received from your brother?_

When Eri had told me those words, I hardly knew how to react.

Then I realized that Eri was perhaps the only being that understood me.

"Yes," I said.

For sure Eri smiled.

 _You are an Akashiro, but at the same time you are not. What is your name, child? The name that defines you._

My name?

I thought back to my mother, who gave me a name.

I thought back to my step-mother, who also gave me a name.

I thought back to my two brothers, who gave me a name.

Who gave me worth.

Steeling myself, I looked up at Eri.

"I am Heiwajima Reido."

Eri smiled again.

The light around her changed, along with her ethereal form. It grew to resemble something like a tiger. The tiger dove at me, and I made no move to stop it.

A warmth filled me.

The tiger gently dissipated when it touched my scarf. The cloth glowed slightly, and I could feel Eri in it.

 _It's been too long since I've been in a contract with someone._

I touched my scarf and smiled.


	4. Exordium

Nayami-san's face when she saw me was priceless.

She had been waiting a few blocks over with the motorcycle she always used. When I had not returned, she grew curious as to what had happened. I was always early when finishing my jobs and was never late.

Nayami-san had come over to where I was and had arrived just in time to see a bright light enter my scarf. I had looked at her and said, "I found Eri."

Quite priceless.

When she first met Nayami-san, Eri was immediately alert. I remembered that she was an offensive spirit and it was in her nature to attack any of my enemies.

Eri eventually told me that the reason she hadn't attacked Nayami-san was because I held no malice toward Nayami-san, and Eri could sense no malice from Nayami-san. Only shock, confusion, and slight concern.

Nayami-san took me back to the Akashiro household. She put me aside and went to talk with Zekko-san privately. I waited patiently, growing comfortable with the slight hum of my scarf.

 _That man._

I had blinked in surprise. I hadn't expected Eri to continue talking with me. Did she genuinely enjoy conversing with me and being in my company?

My scarf grew warm.

 _Is that man the man that raised you?_

I remember being puzzled. What had Eri meant by saying Zekko-san raised me? He merely oversaw my training. That was the only part he played in my life.

The scarf seemed to hum.

 _I see._

When I waited, Eri didn't talk again.

Zekko-san came to see me. His red eyes seemed warmer than usual. It startled me.

Zekko-san had congratulated me warmly. He actually knelt down to meet my eyes and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"You've done well, Zero," he had said.

That's when Eri flared and Zekko-san tore his hands off my shoulder, stepping back. He stared at his hands, where a bright red burn mark had appeared where he had touched my scarf.

Zekko-san had stared at the burn and began to laugh. He told me he was proud of me, and that I would have to meet the rest of the Akashiro.

When I was alone, I wondered why Eri had burned Zekko-san like that. Eri answered.

 _I can't stand people like him. He finds no worth in you except when you kill._

My scarf flickered without me moving it.

 _I must admit, you're quite naive._

At the time, I agreed with her. I knew too little about the world around me the the people I interacted with.

 _Well, I am here to stay. You need not worry about me leaving, child._

I remember feeling that strange emotion again. Happiness.

Eri chuckled.

 _You are such a strange little one._

The next day, Zekko-san brought me to meet the rest of the Akashiro. He told them about my reclaiming of Eri and how with the aid of one of the guardian spirits, the Akashiro could reclaim their once noble title.

As I stood there and listened to to Zekko-san, I could sense Eri's growing rage. I could see why. The way Zekko-san talked about her enraged me as well.

I could feel the hatred from nearly every Akashiro in the room. Their red eyes were trained on me, and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't show weakness."

I turned slightly as Nayami-san whispered to me.

"If it looks like you're uncomfortable under their gaze, it shows weakness, and they will take advantage of that to break you," Nayami-san murmured in my ear.

I nodded, reaching for my scarf and repositioning it.

The thought of Kasuka flitted through my mind.

I relaxed.

I stared right back at the other Akashiro. I understood why they hated me. They already hated me for being a bastard child. But for a bastard child to reclaim one of the spirits all the Akashiro had lost long ago and searched for relentlessly was infuriating.

The thought of it amused me.

I heard Eri chuckle.

 _You really are strange._

As she said that, I felt her rage diminish slightly.

A few days later, I was training on my own, practicing complex moves with my katana.

 _You're quite skilled._

I had paused, surprised.

I wasn't unfamiliar with praise. Zekko-san praised me whenever I killed a significant amount of people.

But what surprised me the most was the genuine pride in Eri's voice.

"Thank you," I murmured, swinging my katana again.

Eri hummed as I practiced. As I swung, Eri spoke up again.

 _That katana is wearing down. You should get a new one soon._

I was surprised again. I closely examined the katana, frowning.

"You're right," I said aloud. "I didn't notice that."

I sensed that Eri was smug.

 _Would you like to learn a technique as a wielder of my vessel?_

I paused. "What's the technique?" I asked as I recovered the scabbard of the katana.

 _As I am an offensive spirit, you can create weapons from my vessel. In this case, you can create weapons out of your scarf._

I sheathed the katana.

"I prefer katanas."

I could almost feel Eri's smile.

 _Of course._

Eri instructed me that I needed to concentrate. What was crucial in drawing weapons from Eri's vessel was a bond with the spirit. In this case, I already had a good bond with Eri.

I simply envisioned a katana, reached up to my scarf, gripped it, and as I drew my hand away, the fabric of my scarf seemed to follow it, forming a katana that I had thought of.

I examined the newly formed katana. It was perfectly balanced and the edge was razor sharp. The hilt was wrapped in clean white bandages.

I swung the katana once. It was nearly weightless, making it easier to cut through anything or anyone.

I swung again, this time using a complicated movement that I had always found difficulty in doing.

I did it flawlessly.

"Thank you, Eri," I said. The scarf grew warm.

"But when I'm done using it, what do I do?"

Eri explained to me how to bring the sword back into my scarf. Simply insert the sword back into the scarf, and the sword would dissipate and become string and fabric again. I did so, and it became easy after a few tries.

Eri told me that all I had to do was envision a weapon and pull it from the scarf. However, as Eri was a spirit from the far past, I wouldn't be able to create any modern weapons. It was fine with me. I had always preferred blades.

The first time Nayami-san saw me perform this, she was surprised but didn't comment on it.

The first time Zekko-san saw me perform this, he said that I was excellent at controlling Eri.

When he said, that Eri was furious. I was furious too. I hated the thought that I was controlling Eri. She was the guardian spirit of the Akashiro, and I would never be able to control her. She simply lent me help.

It wasn't until later that Eri told me that we were and would always be equals.


	5. Preface

Years passed.

Eri kept me company.

I was grateful for her presence.

As I grew older, the way I viewed the world grew darker.

I continued to kill.

My visits with Shizuo and Kasuka decreased to only once a year.

I missed them, but I didn't want them to see me.

I felt that I was alone in the world, with only Eri as my companion and as someone who could really understand me.

Zekko-san continued to push me. His trainings grew harsher, and this time, Nayami-san was too busy to stop him.

On my thirteenth birthday, I visited Shizuo and Kasuka again. It was only a brief moment, less than an hour.

Shizuo seemed sad, as if he knew what I was going through. Kasuka hardly showed any emotion, but I could tell that he was the same.

Before I left, Shizuo gave me a gift.

A red hooded jacket.

To my surprise, sewn in white, was the character 零, translating to Rei.

Shizuo's eyes were something I would never forget. They were incredibly sad. I had gotten the feeling he knew that I would never be the same person I was when I was a child.

Shizuo said that the jacket was his gift to me, and that I would always be someone he cared for and kept close to his heart. He had hugged me then, and I had feebly hugged him back.

That was the last visit with my brothers in a long time.

I wore the jacket. Just like the scarf Kasuka had given me, I hardly took it off. The thought that someone besides Eri still cared for me was nice.

Months passed, and I continued to kill.

I learned to conjure more weapons with Eri. I became more deadly and recognized as one of the strongest members of the Akashiro family, if not the strongest.

It came to the point where one of my second cousins challenged me to 決闘, a _ketto_.

A term used in the Akashiro where one member challenges another in a battle of strength.

It was a fight to the death.

Only one person would walk away alive.

Zekko-san, as the head of the family, approved the fight. The _ketto_ would be fought in an underground arena built by the Akashiro and traditional weapons would be provided.

I wouldn't be allowed to use Eri.

It was fine with me.

Eri had said that I couldn't depend on her too much. If I did, I would grow weak and would lose in a battle without her.

In the fight, I told Eri to wait in my room. If she wanted to, she could come and watch the fight.

I forgot to mention that.

Eri had become comfortable in her vessel, my scarf. As a result, she could use her power to change the form of my scarf, though it would naturally always be a scarf.

Using that power, she changed into a pure white snake. Eri told me that her natural form was a feline animal, though she much preferred serpents.

I had the feeling she thought that cats weren't intimidating enough.

At the _ketto_ , I faced off against my opponent. The other members of the Akashiro were here to watch. Fights like this were rare because the members of the Akashiro rarely even interacted with one another.

My opponent chose two daggers and a tanto.

I chose a katana.

I had to admit, my opponent was well trained.

But not enough for me.

It didn't take long to disarm my opponent. Without a moment's hesitation, I slit their throat and watched as the life left their eyes.

Zekko-san declared me victorious, and I sensed Eri's pride.

I was challenged to two more _ketto_ , and I won each one.

A few weeks before I would turn fifteen, I came across an object in a house of a wealthy yakuza I had killed. Seeing the box caused memories to return to me.

A stone box with a carving.

守る

Mamoru, the second guardian spirit of the Akashiro.

The spirit that was responsible for defending the family against attacks.

Eri was utterly elated when I made the connection.

The elation vanished the moment I touched the box.

It burned me.

 _No more._

I barely heard the voice. Male. It reminded me of Eri.

The energy around the box grew fiery, similar to Eri when I had first found her. However, for this box, it was more uncontrollable. Filled with more burning hatred, as opposed to Eri's energy, which was cold anger.

 _No more humans. You're all the same._

Before I could register what going on, I heard people coming. I cursed.

By the time people arrived in the room where I had killed the yakuza, I was already long gone, and the box with me.

I returned to the Akashiro household and went to Zekko-san, carrying the box wrapped in my scarf. Eri was impervious to any damage, and this was the only way to carry the box without it burning me.

When Zekko-san touched the box, it burned him as well.

As did every person that touched it, Akashiro or not.

When I was left alone with the stone box, I asked Eri is she could speak with Mamoru.

 _I already did._

"Why is he lashing out at everyone?" I asked.

Eri sighed. _It is because he has grown bitter at humans. Humans are the ones that sealed him in that box. As humans are the people he defends, he believes that they are not worth helping anymore._

I paused when Eri said that. "How were you all sealed in the first place?" I had felt a little foolish for not asking that sooner. I suppose that I had thought the box was Eri's former vessel, but to here Eri say they were sealed piqued my interest.

Eri only gave a vague answer.

 _We were betrayed._

I didn't pry.

I stared at the box, Mamoru's prison. I wondered if he would prefer a life of confinement over interaction with humans. Perhaps if I were in his place, I would have chosen confinement.

I carefully touched the box. My skin burned, but I didn't flinch.

"Would you like me to bring you to a place without humans?" I whispered.

For a moment, the burn faded.

Then it came back, fiercer than before.

My skin blistered, and I removed my hand.

 _I don't need your pity,_ Mamoru snarled.

I stared at my burnt hand. "I wasn't pitying you," I said aloud. "If it were me, I wouldn't want to be around those I hate. I'd just want peace and quiet." I closed my hand, ignoring the pain.

"But that's something I'll never get."


	6. Overture

"Here?"

 _Perhaps._

Perhaps wasn't good enough.

I was currently in the freezing mountains of northern Japan. The Akashiro owned a sprawling cabin out here, and I had taken the time to come here.

Bringing Mamoru's box with me along the way.

Mamoru didn't want to interact with humans. I understood his reason, even though he lashed out at me every time that thought occurred to me. I brought Mamoru out here to hide him in a place where, hopefully, no one would find him again.

If I couldn't be in peace, I'd like to give that chance to someone else.

Kasuka had told me that once.

The logic of it didn't make sense to me, but it made sense to my brother.

I trudged through thick snow, shivering, and pulling my jacket around me. I had hardly dressed properly, but it didn't matter to me.

If I died out here, at least it would end my wretched life.

 _You shouldn't think like that._

I paused in the snow, looking around, and instinctively reaching for my scarf. It warmed at my touch, as if making an extra effort to keep my body warm.

I continued to walk, shouldering the pack slung over my shoulder. The pack that was holding the heavily cushioned Mamoru's box.

It had been only a few days since I had first found Mamoru's box. Several members of the Akashiro quarreled over what to do. I had heard one of them wanted to forcibly open the box and control Mamoru by force.

I spat at them, stabbed them in the hand, and threatened to slit the throat of anyone who dared offer that idea again.

Eri agreed.

When I made up my mind to bring Mamoru's box out to a place without humans, Nayami-san quickly figured out my plan, only because she was the only Akashiro who bothered to get to know me well. She arranged for my passage to the cabin in the mountains.

I wondered if I should thank her for that, but Zekko-san would probably smack me if I did.

He'd become harsher.

And it only made me hate him more.

I continued to walk. My eyes darted around my surroundings, trying to find a suitable place to hide Mamoru's box. To keep it out of sight, and in a place where no one would ever bother him again.

My pack grew warm, indicating Mamoru's annoyance and anger.

I ignored it.

 _Rei._

I stopped, looking around warily but cautiously. She only called my by my name in serious times and usually opted to just call me "child". "What?" I replied softly.

 _Something's wrong._

I frowned, scanning my surroundings. There was nothing off.

But the ground...

 _Vehicles. Several of them._

I cursed.

 _All of them hostile. They're mercenaries hired by the man that you stole Mamoru's box from._

My pack grew warmer.

I cursed again. I couldn't let them get ahold of Mamoru's box. I'd rather die than let that happen.

I started sprinting away from the direction of where Eri had sensed the vehicles. The snow slowed me down, but I called on the few scraps of memory when Nayami-san showed me how to properly run in a snow-filled environment.

 _Rei, they're getting closer._

"I know," I rasped. I could feel the soft thrum from the ground.

 _Hide him._

Cursing, I skidded to a stop and dropped to my knees at the base of a tree. I shoved snow aside until I reached solid ground, summoned a small knife from Eri, and tore dirt from the ground.

 _Hurry._

Digging a satisfactory hole, I pulled Mamoru's box from the bag, ignoring the burns that bloomed on my hands. Murmuring a small apology, I placed the box in the hole, covered it with dirt, and slid snow over it. I slammed my shoulder into the tree, causing fresh snow to fall, obscuring where I had dug the hole. I pulled a replica of the box from my scarf and stuffed it into the bag.

Then I started to run again.

Not even five seconds later, I was shot.

I swore as pain shot through my thigh. I regained my balance and took another step.

And then something hard slammed into the back of my head, and I nearly blacked out.

Eri's fury tore through me, giving me strength.

I took in the ring of mercenaries around me, all heavily armed.

I reached for my scarf, but Eri had other plans.

This time, she was the one who picked my weapon.

Chains streamed from my scarf, and two dual weapons dropped into my hands.

Chain scythes, I noted.

The blades were razor sharp, and the chains were woven with barbed wire and had small spikes in between the links.

Nice.

When the mercenaries opened fire, Eri took partial control of my weapon, and I lunged.

The chains spun, and men fell, their throat slit and gashes covering their bodies.

Where I swung, blood spurted and someone died.

There were more men coming. I could feel it through the ground and through the air.

It seemed like Eri's senses were starting to blend into me. I had a feeling it was only temporary.

In the midst of my fighting, I remembered something Eri had told me.

After centuries of imprisonment, her power had practically been leeched from her. It would take years before it would return fully.

And with me using incomplete power, it would have side effects.

When I dove at someone, one of those side effects took effect.

The moment the blade of my scythe tore through the throat of one man, the chains that surrounded me faltered, and pain shot through my body.

Pain in my hands, where the metal of the scythes suddenly grew burningly cold.

Pain in my legs, where I suddenly felt like I ran and ran and never stopped.

Pain in my throat and mouth, where I had started spitting out blood.

Pain in my chest, where a bullet had passed Eri's defense, and I was hit.

I choked, turning, but another bullet hit me. I faltered, staggering, blood splattering the already stained snow.

Rage shot through me, and I hurled my scythe at the man, slicing through his throat.

But I sensed Eri's power waning, and I swore.

Pain racked my body, from the bullet wounds and Eri's power failing me.

I lashed out at the mercenaries, but each time, a bullet hit me. And each time, I faltered as Eri's waning power caused pain in my body and the bullet made everything worse, my blood splattering on the ground.

More and more.

Kill and kill.

Pain and pain.

Until I tore the scarf from my neck, dropping my scythes, and lunged at the last mercenary. I wrapped my arms around his neck, nearly screeching with rage and the pain as the man fervently but futilely jabbed at my bullet wounds.

And then the man fell limp, and I released him, letting his body fall to the ground.

I staggered back over to where I had dropped Eri. The chain scythe had vanished, returning to Eri. The scarf remained pristine amongst the blood-stained snow, and I collapsed next to it.

 _I'm sorry._

I managed a wet laugh, almost choking from the blood in my mouth.

"It's alright," I managed.

 _You're injured, and I was only dragging you down._

"It's alright," I said again.

 _You're hurt, Rei, and I couldn't help you._

I sighed, wincing in pain. "I won't blame you, Eri, and you shouldn't blame yourself." Blood had begun to pool around me. Perhaps this would be the end of my wretched life.

And then I heard a new voice.

 _I can see why Eri chose you._

I sighed, my vision slowly growing dark. I saw Eri gently glow in response to the voice. The scarf morphed into a feline animal and padded over to where I had buried Mamoru's box.

As the seconds dragged by, I heard the sound of snow being dug through, of frozen dirt being clawed aside.

And then Eri carefully brought Mamoru's box over to me, and she pulled my hand over to it.

When I touched the stone, it did not burn.

Warmth spread through my body, different from Eri's warmth.

Eri's warmth reminded my of my mother's soft hands pulling my hair out of my face. A comforting warmth that told me that someone would be there for me, no matter what.

Mamoru's warmth reminded me of fire, a warm fireplace that crackled during the winter. A warmth that kept the darkness away, basking me in light and heat.

 _Heiwajima Reido. That jacket of yours is something you treasure._

I only nodded blearily.

 _Can I..._

I nodded again. "Feel free," I murmured.

I heard Eri speak.

 _Mamoru doesn't have a lot, but he has some healing abilities._

I nodded once more.

 _But since he's the second spirit to become bonded to you, and you don't have the third, there could be... something that is best called_ backlash _._

Mamoru spoke just as his stone box began to crack.

 _Apologies in advance, child._

He called me child, like Eri did.

The stone dissolved, and pain tore through my body.


	7. Preamble

A voice.

 _Child._

Familiar.

 _Child._

Who?

 _Rei._

Ah. Eri.

I blinked, suddenly becoming aware of the biting cold around me and the snow beneath me. As if knowing I was cold, my jacket warmed.

Oh. Right.

Mamoru.

The jacket seemed to hum, as if to confirm the presence of the sentient being now possessing it.

My body was sore. With some effort, I managed to roll onto my back and look up at the sky above me. To my surprise, light was beginning to gently stream from the horizon. Dawn.

How long...

 _A few hours._

I almost started at the male voice. I fingered the sleeve of my jacket, sensing an aura emanating from the fabric. It reminded me of Eri.

 _Are you feeling well?_

Mamoru.

I wanted to say yes, but my mind flashed back to the excruciating pain I had felt. I almost shuddered at the memory.

That pain was something I wished would never happen to me again.

"That pain," I murmured. My voice was hoarse. I wondered if I had screamed. There was too much pain for me to know.

Mamoru answered my unspoken question.

 _You have two of the three spirit of the Akashiro. To be bound to just two spirits is dangerous. We spirits are always reaching out for each other with our power. When you only had Eri, her excess power had been split between reaching out for me and the third spirit. You never felt that power reaching out because it was too small._

I blinked, wrapping my head around Mamoru's words.

 _Think of it like this. A triangle, with each of us being one corner. Eri splits her excess power into two different directions, but as the third spirit and I were not bound to you, that power dissipated, as it had nowhere to go. It was too weak to be felt by you, since it was Eri's power split in half._

I nodded.

 _But now that I am bound to you, Eri is no longer splitting off her power to reach out to me, and now all of her excess power is reaching out for the third spirit. As I am bound to you, I do the same. But as the third spirit is not bound to you, our excess power becomes joined and reaching out for nothing. That excess power becomes reflected off of you, making you feel pain. That will happen every time you use my power._

Oh.

Oh.

I see.

With a sigh, I managed to sit up. I clutched my jacket, the warmth pulsating through it comforting.

I stood, wincing from the soreness in my body. I took a step forward and almost fell over.

 _Careful. Mamoru was only able to heal the worst of your injuries. You're still plenty injured, so be careful._

I took a shaking step forward, then another, and another. I walked past the corpses of the men that I had killed, not even batting an eye toward them. I kept on walking, my body beginning to rack in pain.

When I had walked a measurable distance away, I heard a rustle in the snow. I turned, black spots beginning to dance in my eyes, and saw Nayami-san.

She had a worried expression on her face, and I wondered if she genuinely cared for me.

My vision went black.

Nayami-san took me back to the Akashiro household. Everyone was furious that I had claimed the second spirit of the Akashiro, but there was nothing they could do. Not when they watched me train quietly by myself.

Zekko-san started pushing me. I had to kill more people and train harder.

Mamoru was kind to me. Eri told me that of the three spirits, Mamoru was the gentlest. I could understand that, as Eri often had angry outbursts and had difficulty controlling her temper.

On missions, Mamoru would change the shape of my jacket to a trench coat with the tail split in two. The kanji of my name was written on the back.

That kanji made me known as I worked.

I was the assassin Zero. A deadly figure in the underground.

Mamoru, like Eri, was invulnerable as my vessel. Nothing could pierce it, and whenever I was shot, Mamoru was there to shield me, and all I felt was a dull thud.

But every time Mamoru used his power, I would have suffer through the backlash.

It was painful.

Every time Mamoru shut off his power, I would go through pain.

Agonizing pain.

At first, it was just pain.

One particular time when I overused Mamoru's power, I started coughing out blood.

After that, my backlashes would usually start with me coughing out blood.

The severe ones were worse. My ears and nose began to bleed, and it was all I could do to not scream. I coughed out more blood, and Eri and Mamoru's worry made everything worse.

My physical health began to decline by the time I about to turn eighteen. When I looked in the mirror, I was gaunt and pale, my eyes bloodshot and having heavy bags underneath them. I was a shell of my childhood self, when I used to laugh with Shizuo and Kasuka.

It scared me when I would go through days without my brothers on my mind. I used to think about them all the time, but now my mind is too muddle for me to think straight.

This life was useless.

Why was I even alive?

Why?

Why?

I hated it all.

I hated Zekko-san for taking me away from my brothers.

I hated Nayami-san for not trying hard enough.

I hated the Akashiro for their spiteful looks, as if I wanted to be born as a bastard child.

I hated the world for the life it gave me, the life I never wanted.

I hated...

I hated humanity. I hated them for having their own, happy lives while I was here in the shadows, suffering and envying.

I hated it all.

Looking back on it, I mused that it was a wonder I hadn't gone insane then. It was certainly a miracle I didn't just throw myself off a building to just get it over with, or to just pierce my own heart with the blade that killed numerous others.

I considered it several times.

But I didn't.

Because Eri and Mamoru continued to warm me in those dark days. They never left. They never hated me, or spited me, or turned away. They stayed, and there would never be anyway for me to repay them for doing that.

Their presence gave me strength.

Strength so that on my eighteenth birthday, I walked up to Zekko-san and challenged him to a _ketto_.

* * *

 **Last backstory part, so bear with me. The story will kick off very soon. :)**


	8. A Gap

I was twenty-two years old when I contacted Shizuo for the first time in nine years.

It was hard for me to decide how to start out the letter.

But Eri advised me to just start out with a simple greeting, and to move on from there.

Words leaked out, but I kept most of them to myself. I couldn't tell Shizuo about everything that had happened over the years over a letter.

No. I would never be able to do that.

I needed to tell that to him in person, not over written words sent to him over a long distance.

I asked if he was okay. If he was faring alright. If Kasuka was alright. If the two of them were still close. If he would still like to communicate with me even after so long.

He replied immediately, his handwriting messy as always.

He was alright, he had written to me. Living in Ikebukuro as a bodyguard. Kasuka was alright. Traveling, but alright.

Shizuo said that he would want nothing more than to talk with me, even if it was over a letter.

It was even harder for me to write the second letter. I didn't know what to say. This time, Mamoru told me to simply start some light conversation. Ask how life was like for Shizuo. What did Shizuo do on a daily basis.

Shizuo's reply came.

It seemed he enjoyed his life in Ikebukuro. He told me he was part of a group called the Dollars. I had heard of them but didn't delve too much into it.

Shizuo told me that he had some good companions in Ikebukuro. Some friends from school. Something about a headless fairy and an underground doctor.

He ranted about someone called Izaya for a while in the letter, spewing words of hatred and anger. There would be a splotch of ink near the ranting and indents in the paper, signifying that Shizuo had pressed the pen against the paper too hard and broke it.

He closed off the letter with a tentative question on if I would like to visit him.

I stared at that letter for some time.

To be able to meet Shizuo again after so long felt like a dream. A dream that my ten year old self fantasized about, and my fifteen year old self discarded.

But right now?

It would certainly be nice to see him again.

The question I asked myself was if I could face him after all the lives I had taken.

I asked Eri and Mamoru for help.

 _That question is for you to answer yourself. You alone can judge your worth and no one else_ , Eri had said.

Mamoru spoke up.

 _Well, we certainly have some right to judge you. But the main decision is yours_.

I left that question in a corner of my mind, shelving it until the time when I could truly confront my worth.

Until then, I would write to Shizuo, gently reestablishing contact with him.

Shizuo spoke of his life in Ikebukuro often. It was a bit amusing to read about the antics he would get into.

Sometimes he would rant about that Izaya angrily, saying how he was a stupid flea and how he hated him. There were several ink splotches there, and I wondered what kind of person this Izaya was.

He sounded irritating from the way my brother described him.

Shizuo wrote about the headless fairy sometimes. From the details he provided of it, I concluded that it was a dullahan.

Nice.

Her name was Celty Sturluson.

セルティ ストゥルルソン

Shizuo said that Celty was a friend of his, and it was nice to be around her.

There was also a friend of Shizuo's from when he was younger, Kishitani Shinra.

岸谷 新羅

Shizuo said that Kishitani-san was an underground doctor. Interesting. Shizuo also said that Kishitani-san was utterly smitten with Celty.

Hm. Love.

When I first read it, I was puzzled. Love?

Eri had explained it to me, how people could develop a romantic attraction toward other people. Mamoru stopped her before she could get too far.

I wasn't that clueless, though. I understood what love was. I just didn't understand _how_ people could love so easily. It was a foreign concept for me, so I moved on.

Shizuo often asked what my life was like. Whenever he did that, I would change the topic.

Eri told me that Shizuo was probably disappointed every time I avoided that question. Mamoru told me that Shizuo hadn't seen me in nine years and that he must've been worried over what I had been doing.

I didn't reply to them. I'd already made up my mind on not telling him over a letter.

Finally, I asked Shizuo if I could come over to Ikebukuro to stay with him for some time. I had stumbled over the words and ended up writing several different drafts before I was satisfied with the wording of the final letter.

Shizuo replied, agreeing without hesitation. He asked for a time to meet up, and if I liked sushi.

That last question was a bit odd.

The night before I was too leave for Ikebukuro, I was sitting atop a building, watching the city before me. My jacket and scarf warmed me, energy pulsating through it as Eri and Mamoru made their efforts to keep me warm in the chilly night.

 _I wonder what he'll be like._

Mamoru.

I hummed quietly to myself. "What about it?" I murmured.

 _I've only known your brother from your memories and thoughts. It's been several years since you've met him, right? He must've changed._

I swung my legs idly. "Probably."

 _I'd like to see how he changed._

Eri.

Eri had seen Shizuo back when I was younger. A few times, but I knew that Eri had been fond of Shizuo like she had been of me. We were children then, and based off of Shizuo's letters, I supposed that Shizuo's temper would match Eri's.

"We'll just have to wait and see," I said aloud.


	9. Kāishǐ

"Reido."

"Nii-san."

I stared at my brother, and he stared back, taking in my appearance. He had looked surprised when he saw me. Most likely due to the fact that I probably looked really malnourished and exhausted.

Shizuo gazed at me for a while, taking in my appearance. I still wore the red jacket that he had given me years ago and the white scarf that Kasuka gave to me. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was actually a few seconds, Shizuo beckoned to me. "Let's go," he said.

I wordlessly picked up my backpack filled with my meager amount of belongings and followed him as he walked. I blinked when we made our way outside of the underground subway, my eyes adjusting to the sunlight.

Ikebukuro.

I was silent as I walked with Shizuo. My eyes occasionally flickered toward him.

 _He's become quieter since the last time I'd seen him_ , Eri hummed.

Of course. Nine years passed. A time span that long is enough to change anyone.

I suppose.

We continued to walk along in silence, the city buzzing around us. People seemed to avoid Shizuo. I wondered what kind of reputation he held in the city.

"Do you want to get something to eat?"

I looked at Shizuo. His expression was questioning, but I could see some concern behind it.

"No," I murmured flatly.

Shizuo's gaze remained on me for a while before he turned away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Alright," he said.

I stared at him, noticing very slight signs of disappointment in his form.

 _Look. You made him sad_ , Mamoru whispered.

I did?

 _You should have more interaction with humans that doesn't involve killing them. He probably wanted to spend some time with you. He hasn't seen you in nine years after all_ , Eri explained.

Hm. Maybe I should at least try to reach out to him, or try to reestablish some sort of bond like we had when we were younger.

"A little bit would be fine," I finally said after a while.

Subtle surprise flitted across Shizuo's face. He smiled softly. "Do you like sushi?" I paused before nodding.

 _You're terrible at this, you know_ , Mamoru said.

 _I second that_.

We mostly walked in silence, the wind blowing by us. My red hair swayed in the breeze, and Shizuo let his blond locks flicker in front of his eyes. I remembered that his hair used to be brown, the same shade as Kasuka's.

Eventually, we reached a building with an odd dome-like structure in front. A tall black man stood in front, holding a bundle of flyers and trying to hand them out to passerby.

"Sushi," he called out, waving a few flyers. "Eat Russian Sushi."

It seemed a bit bizarre, but I had certainly seen weirder things in my life as an Akashiro.

The man took notice of Shizuo and smiled widely. "Ah, Shizuo. How are you today?"

Shizuo looked up at the man. "Simon," he said calmly. "I'm alright today."

I peered curiously at Shizuo and back at the man, Simon. My eyes carefully narrowed, examining him.

A pacifist, probably. Gentle personality, but stronger than he looks. Tends to intimidate people with his height, I'd say. Hm. I looked at him closer. Harsh background, maybe. Dislikes people fighting, perhaps? Too soon to tell.

Shizuo was talking again. "Just a quick dinner."

Dinner. Right. I had arrived in Ikebukuro in the late afternoon. The sky had already begun to darken.

Simon beamed and nodded. He looked over at me. "Who is this?"

Shizuo glanced toward me. "My sister. Reido, this is Simon Brezhnev."

サイモン・ブレジネフ

Simon blinked in surprise, looking at me and back at Shizuo. He was clearly trying to see if there were any similarities between us. I was used to it.

To my surprise, Simon smiled. "You two are very alike."

Alike? Really?

No one had ever said that to me.

Simon beckoned us into the building, and Shizuo followed him into the building. I walked after him.

We sat down by the counter. I looked down at the wooden tabletop, wondering if the atmosphere between my brother and I was awkward.

 _You really are bad at this_ , Mamoru murmured.

I really was, wasn't I.

Luckily, Shizuo spoke up.

"You kept the jacket," he said.

I turned to him, nodding. "Yes," I said.

Shizuo shifted uncomfortably. It seemed he could sense the awkward atmosphere easier than I could. "And the scarf too," he said. I nodded again, not knowing what else to say.

Silence again.

 _I'm honestly cringing from how awkward this is_ , Eri whispered.

Shut up.

Luckily, Shizuo spoke up again. "The jacket seems bigger from when the last time I saw it."

Shit.

Do I tell him now? Do I tell him that the jacket naturally fits me only because a mystical Akashiro spirit is inhabiting it and gradually manipulates it so that it would fit me perfectly? And that my scarf has only stayed pristine over the years because another mystical Akashiro spirit is inhabiting it and dissolves any blood or grime that gets caught in the fabric?

Do I tell him? In a public place?  
 _Probably not. You'd probably implode from the amount of talking it requires_ , Eri said.

Irritation flashed through me.

Instead, I only shrugged and didn't reply.

Shizuo's face seemed to fall, and he sighed.

Regret immediately filled me, and I felt the urge to apologize. I looked down at my fingers, trying to think of what to say. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I like dogs, you know."

Shizuo snapped his head toward me, surprise on his face. I suddenly felt embarrassed, but none of it showed on my face.

Meanwhile, Eri and Mamoru were guffawing.

 _Really? That's what you came up with?_ Mamoru chortled.

 _You are really, really bad at this socializing thing_ , Eri noted.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance.

Shizuo suddenly chuckled. I blinked at him, keeping my expression neutral.

"Really?" he said. "I thought you preferred cats."

I shrugged. "My opinions can change."

Shizuo smiled. "What changed it?"

Faced with another question that I wondered if I should answer honestly.

I had started liking dogs because Mamoru's animal form was a dog. A very wolfish-type dog with dark red fur. Mamoru's dog form tended to vary from a large dog that sat on me to prevent me from going on another job and a tiny dog that sat on my shoulder and annoyed me by licking my cheek repeatedly. Unlike Eri, who still preferred her snake form, Mamoru's dog form was his true form and a form he enjoyed.

Maybe bend the truth a bit?

"I hung around with dogs a lot," I said. "I suppose I find them endearing."

Shizuo tilted his head. "When did you start doing that?"

 _Idle small talk_ , Eri whispered.

I ignored her.

"Maybe around when I was sixteen." A year after having Mamoru. It was when my health had begun to decline severely due to all the backlashes I had. That was when Mamoru started taking the form of a dog more often in order to comfort me.

A look crossed Shizuo's face. It looked like restrained curiosity and worry.

Before I could say anything, Simon came over to us, holding several plates of questionable looking sushi. I was hungry, so I didn't question it.

"Sushi!" Simon said cheerfully.

Quietly murmuring "Itadakimasu", I picked up the pair of chopsticks. Shizuo did the same, and we ate in silence.

Not silence for me. Eri and Mamoru were beginning to talk on how I should make more conversation with Shizuo. I ignored them again, long used to them speaking like that. When I had first gotten Mamoru, though, they would talk so much that I would get headaches. Eri only blamed it on me not getting enough human interaction to get used to the chatter of other people.

When we finished eating, Shizuo paid for the food and we left the building. Night had fallen.

"Is that all you have?" Shizuo asked suddenly.

I realized he was talking about my backpack. He must've realized how light it was when he picked it up and gave it to me when we left Russian Sushi.

"Yes," I said.

Shizuo shook his head. "That's hardly anything."

I shrugged.

Shizuo sighed. "You'll need more things."

I looked at my brother. "It's fine," I said. "I don't need any more things."

Shizuo shook his head again. "No. You're getting more stuff."

I recognized that tone from a fourteen year old Shizuo. It was a tone he used to show that there would be no more talking about the matter at hand.

In other words, it meant that his word was law, and there was no way to go around it.

I let my gaze linger on Shizuo for a moment before dropping it back to the ground. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jacket, taking in the soft buzz of Mamoru's warm aura.

"Okay."

* * *

 **This chapter mostly consists of some drabble, basically, for the two siblings. Nothing much, but the next few chapters will kick of the story, and more characters will be introduced.**

 **Also, the name of this chapter, Kaishi, is the Chinese pronunciation for "start".**

 **I'm also at a huge dilemma on how to write the characters, specifically Izaya and Shinra, maybe. Any tips, dear readers? Please?**


	10. Huìjiàn

"This was still unnecessary, Nii-san."

"No."

"Yes it was."

"No."

I sighed and looked back at the ground, finding no point in the conversation. I reached for my white scarf and kept my other hand in the pocket of my jacket.

Shizuo and I were walking around Ikebukuro on a particularly sunny afternoon. He had insisted that we go to the store in order to buy me more clothes and such. I told him again that I didn't need anything, but Shizuo's stubbornness hadn't changed at all over the years.

For a moment, I considered that stubbornness annoying. I quickly discarded the thought. I didn't want to think of my brother as annoying. The constant banter of Eri and Mamoru was annoying. Shizuo certainly wasn't.

I remembered that I had wanted to tell Shizuo about everything. I didn't work up the courage to do so last night when he brought me to his small apartment and showed me my room.

Funny.

How I could kill someone without a second glance, but I couldn't steel myself to start a conversation with my brother and tell him about everything.

 _I suppose it's just because you're bad at socializing overall_ , Mamoru spoke up.

 _I second that_ , Eri said.

My grip on my scarf tightened a bit, but when Shizuo cast a small glance over at me, I loosened my fist.

Even if I was bad at socializing, I felt something else that kept me from speaking to my brother. An unease that rose up whenever I brought up the idea of telling him.

Ah. There it is.

I think it was fear.

 _Are you scared that he'll reject you because of everything you've done?_ Eri asked.

…

 _I think she is_ , Mamoru said as if I was not listening.

I let out sigh, a bit frustrated from Mamoru and Eri's discussion. I suppose I was afraid of Shizuo rejecting me. But it would make sense. I had taken many lives, but I didn't feel regret. I didn't feel guilt.

"Nii-san."

Shizuo looked over at me. "Yeah?"

The unease rose even higher until it almost became suffocating. I pushed it down.

"There's so-"

Before I could say anything else, a high pitched whinny rang throughout the air. Eri and Mamoru instantly recoiled, recognition coming off of them in waves. I stopped walking and looked to the side at the street.

To my surprise, a dullahan came whisking past me.

I stared at the dullahan as it came speeding by on a motorbike. Clothed in black, it, no, _she_ was wearing a yellow and blue helmet shaped vaguely like a cat's head. No light reflected off of the black motorbike she rode. It was as if everything about the dullahan absorbed light.

Another whinny rang throughout the air as the dullahan sped out of my view. I continued to gaze at where it had disappeared.

 _A dullahan_ , Eri said.

 _I haven't seen one in quiet a while. What is one doing in this city?_ Mamoru said.

I remembered from Shizuo's letters that he had a friend that was a dullahan. Was that her?

Shizuo followed my gaze. "That was Celty," he said.

Ah. Celty Sturluson. I remember her name now.

"Do you want to meet her?"

I looked over at Shizuo. "Yes. That would be nice."

Shizuo beckoned to me and started walking again. I followed him.

As for Mamoru and Eri, though…

 _Does interacting with a dullahan count as human interaction?_ Mamoru asked.

I could almost see Eri's shrug.

 _That depends on how the dullahan acts_ , Eri replied.

I felt like scolding the two. The dullahan had a name, after all.

 _Yes, yes, I know. Celty Sturluson,_ Mamoru murmured.

I followed Shizuo as he walked through the city. I moved my hand from my scarf into the other pocket of my jacket. My gaze was downcast, and I shouldered the bag with my new belongings.

My thoughts returned to the topic I was going to bring up before the arrival of the dullahan. I wondered if I should bring it up again while we were walking. But we were going to meet someone, and this wasn't the type of conversation to stop midway and return to it later.

Finally, Shizuo stopped in front of a tall apartment building. He cast another glance at me before walking into the building.

Before Shizuo knocked on the door, he looked at me. "Let's hope that Celty is here."

I only gave a small nod.

Shizuo rapped on the door twice. I sensed hurried footsteps head for the door. When it opened, a young man with glasses and a white lab coat popped his head out. His face immediately lit up.

"Shizuo! What a surprise to see you here!" he exclaimed. He looked over at me and tilted his head curiously. "Who is this?"

"My sister. Reido, Shinra. Shinra, Reido. Can we come in?" Shizuo said without batting an eye.

Ah, so this was Kishitani Shinra, the underground doctor Shizuo spoke about.

Shinra-san observed me a little more before stepping back and opened the door for us. I stepped inside, observing the modern apartment.

"Celty, Shizuo's here!" Kishitani-san called out just as Shizuo and I took a seat on the cough. From one of the doorways, the dullahan stepped out.

Up close, I could confirm that the dullahan was definitely female. She wasn't wearing her helmet, which revealed the stump of her neck where a wisp of black substance rose. She was still dressed in black. More specifically, a black bike suit.

Celty-san seemed to startle in surprise at us. Probably not at Shizuo but at me. A PDA appeared in her hand. She typed into it and held it up for us all to see.

Oh. That's right. Japanese characters.

Shizuo only shrugged in response to Celty-san. "Reido was curious. She's new in the city after all."

Shinra-san rubbed the back of his head. "Celty, this is Reido. She's apparently Shizuo's sister."

A scowl flitted across Shizuo's face. "Not apparently. She _is_ my sister."

Celty-san jumped and looked at me. She didn't have a head, but I could tell she had other ways to see. She typed something into her PDA and held it up, this time directed toward me. Shinra-san and Shizuo stared at me, waiting for my to reply to her.

I stared at the PDA.

Japanese characters.

Of course.

Before the silence could drag on any longer, Eri came to the rescue.

 _She's saying that it's nice to meet you_ , she said. I felt a spark of irritation emerge from Mamoru. Given how competitive the two tended to be sometimes, I could almost feel the impending headaches from their future arguments.

I bowed my head. "Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you." Before anyone could say anything else, I continued. "Why are you in the city?"

Shinra-san stiffened. "What do you mean by that, Reido-san?"

I burrowed my hands deeper into the pockets of my jacket. "You're a dullahan. Are you looking for your head?"

Shinra-san and Celty-san looked at each other. Shizuo, on the other hand, let out a snicker. A snicker.

"You figured that out quickly, Reido," he said with a smile.

That broke the awkward atmosphere. Shinra-san let out a laugh. "No one's said that to Celty when they first meet her. That's a first."

Celty-san typed something into her PDA. This time, it was Mamoru who spoke up.

 _You already know about dullahans?_ he recited.

A flash of annoyance from Eri.

Great.

"Nii-san told me about you," I said quietly. "In his letters."

"Ah, about that!" Shinra-san exclaimed. He pointed at Shizuo. "Why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister!"

Shizuo leaned on the arm of the couch. "It never came up in casual conversation."

Shinra-san balked. "Why didn't you at least say so, then! We talked about your brother once, didn't we?"

Shizuo only shrugged. "Like I said. It never came up." He glanced at me and back at Shinra-san.

Celty-san sat down next to me and held up her PDA for me.

 _She's saying it's a surprise that Shizuo has another sibling_ , Eri cut in before Mamoru could speak. I only nodded in response to Celty-san's statement. She held it up again after typing something else.

 _Oh. She's saying that you two look alike_ , Mamoru said.

What?

"Really?" I whispered. Even though Shizuo and Shinra-san had moved to another room to banter by themselves, I could feel Shizuo's gaze on my every so often.

Celty-san nodded, typing something else.

 _She commenting that you're a lot calmer than Shizuo is since Shizuo has anger management issues_ , Mamoru said again. Eri had attempted to cut him off, but Mamoru only increased his voice in my head to talk over Eri.

"He's like that a lot," I murmured even quieter than before.

 _Is that so?_ , Eri quickly translated.

Celty-san continued to type into the PDA.

 _Apparently, Shizuo's temper earned him an impressive reputation in the city_ , Mamoru all but snapped. I could feel _his_ temper begin to rise along with Eri's.

"What kind of reputation?" I replied quietly.

This time, Eri and Mamoru began speaking over each other so loudly I felt like wincing.

Quiet down, would you? Take turns if you have to.

Finally, after a second of grudging silence, Eri spoke up.

 _He has a big one. He's pretty much feared because of his monstrous strength. Wait, strength?_ Eri said.

I tilted my head very subtly. "Monstrous strength?"

 _She's surprised you don't know_ , Mamoru said. At least his temper was beginning to ebb.

Celty-san nodded.

 _He's actually known as one of the strongest men in Ikebukuro, apparently_ , Eri said.

"One?" I asked.

Celty-san nodded again and continued to type, but I noticed that her movements were more cautious.

 _There's a lot of strong people in Ikebukuro. One of them is Orihara Izaya. He and Shizuo are constantly fighting the moment they see each other_ , Mamoru recited. _She says that you should probably stay away from him._

Orihara Izaya?

折原 臨也?

Looking back on it, I hadn't really considered this Orihara person to be of any importance. Maybe I'd look into it out of curiosity of why he and my brother were always fighting.

At that moment, Shinra-san poked his head out of the nearby room. "Reido-san! I'm having company in a few minutes, so unless you're willing to continue your silent discussion on another time-"

He was suddenly cut off by Shizuo jabbing him in the ribs. Shinra-san yelped and clutched at his side.

"Let's go, Reido," Shizuo said. He nodded at both Celty-san and Shinra-san. I did the same and followed Shizuo out of the door.

Dusk had fallen. Time seemed to had passed quickly. I walked alongside Shizuo on the mostly deserted street. The atmosphere between us was quiet, but it wasn't as awkward as before.

"Nii-san?"

Instead of glancing at me, Shizuo turned his head. I could see his very subtle surprise at the questioning tone I had in his voice which I rarely had.

"Yeah?"

I clenched my fist subtly, realizing that the suffocating feeling was only rising and rising.

"Never mind."

Shizuo continued to gaze at me for a while before looking away.

"Alright."

That night, when Shizuo had closed the door to his room and I sitting quietly in my own room, I was holding a device in my hand. Something very similar to Celty-san's PDA. I stared at it, it's light softly illuminating the room.

It buzzed once. Then again.

I stared at the screen, and with a sigh, I pressed a button on the device, stood, and quietly slipped out of the open window.

* * *

 **While I debated on whether or not I should introduce Celty and Shinra later on, I really did not want to write a chapter of meaningless drabble that would make me want to tear my hair out out of sheer frustration.**

 **So, this has Celty and Shinra.**

 **Huijian (Chinese) = pay a visit**

 **Apologies for the next few chapters since it may seem I might be going too fast with this story. But if everything goes according to my outline, this will be fine.**

 **I hope.**

 **So I also hope you enjoyed this new chapter. :)**


	11. Zāoyù

I frowned.

"Mamoru," I muttered. "Get off of me."

The enormous, dark red sheepdog that was lying on my chest shook his head.

 _Nah_ , he replied.

My eye twitched. "Eri, help me out," I called out.

The white snake perched on top of the couch raised her head. Just like the dog, she shook her head. I sighed with frustration.

I was in Shizuo's apartment. Alone, otherwise Mamoru and Eri wouldn't have assumed an animal form. I still hadn't worked up the nerve to tell Shizuo about them and everything. Shizuo was away on an eerrand, and I was bored. Mamoru decided that it was the good chance to squash me underneath one of his fluffier, larger canine forms. I tried to push him off, but he only flopped on me some more and all but knocked the air out of me.

My phone buzzed from where it was on the coffee table. I tried to pull my arm out from under Mamoru to reach for it, but Mamoru shifted, pinning both of my arms down even more.

"Eri, at least get my phone for me," I said.

 _I have no arms_ , she replied with a completely flat voice. _I'm a snake._

I let out a short groan. "You two are utterly hopeless."

Mamoru made a humming noise that caused his chest to vibrate. _I know._

"Just let me get my phone," I said back.

Mamoru seemed to consider it. Finally, he shifted again, freeing my right arm. I reached for my phone on the coffee table and picked it up. I found a message from Shizuo asking if I wanted to have lunch in the apartment or meet up with him to have lunch. I looked at Eri and Mamoru.

"You two want me to go outside more, don't you?" I asked. They nodded, and I sighed again. I sent a reply to Shizuo that it was okay to meet up with him. Mamoru decided he had annoyed me enough and morphed back into my jacket. I sat up, holding it in my arms.

 _Ask where you two are going_ , Eri said.

I was about to, but Shizuo answered before I could. He asked what kind of food I liked. I only replied that I didn't really care as long as it was edible. When he replied, he told me to meet him at a park near Russian Sushi by noon. Looking over at the clock, I found that noon was in fifteen minutes.

"Mamoru, please just get off," I said, trying to push him off of my chest. The dog stubbornly refused to move. I scowled. "Do you want me to go to this lunch or not?"

Mamoru looked at me and tilted his head. He licked my face and finally slid off. "Finally," I muttered, wiping my face. I reached over to wear the snake was curled up, and when I picked Eri up, she shifted back into a scarf. Mamoru padded after me as I made my way to the door, and before I opened, I looked at him pointedly. I held out my hand.

"Mamoru," I said. "Are you staying or what." The dog seemed to smile before licking my hand and promptly shifting into the red jacket. I pulled it on and let out one more sigh before walking out of the apartment.

I still wasn't very familiar with the city. Eri and Mamoru offered some pointers that ended up with me wandering off into an unfamiliar part of the city. It took a while, but I made it to the park to find Shizuo there.

"Sorry I'm late," I said. "I got lost." No thanks to Eri and Mamoru.

 _I said sorry, didn't I?_ Mamoru muttered.

Shizuo smiled softly. "It's okay. Let's go."

The time we spent together was quiet. That was how I would describe it. Quiet, but just a little more comfortable than the first day we had together. We went to a small restaurant for lunch. It was a quiet affair, though Shizuo had frowned a little when he saw how little I was eating and insisted I get more food.

Of course, Eri and Mamoru were having their own conversation on how terrible I was at human interaction and tried to give me some advice and conversation starters. I shut them down by telling them it was their "advice" that made me late to meet up with Shizuo.

After lunch, we walked around the city some more. Shizuo, going back to how I had gotten lost, showed me around the city some more. I took in my surroundings carefully, wanting to avoid getting lost the next time I would have to walk around on my own.

 _If anything, blame Eri._

 _What? You were getting her lost, too! It wasn't just me!_

 _Aha! You admitted it!_

 _You apologized earlier, so you also admitted it yourself!_

I sighed internally at their bickering. I didn't want to sigh externally, otherwise it would look like I wasn't interested in what Shizuo was talking about. And I didn't want to unintentionally hurt Shizuo's feelings.

As we were walking, Shizuo's phone buzzed. He took it out and looked at the screen, then at me.

"My boss wants to see me for an errand. Do you want to come with me, or go back to the apartment?"

 _Go with!_ Mamoru said.

 _Don't pressure her. Let her make her own decision._

 _Says the one who kept on egging her on to make that one right that got her completely lost!_

 _Don't bring that up!_

I fought back the urge to sigh again.

"I'm fine with going with you," I murmured.

Shizuo nodded and set off. I followed him, keeping my hands in the pockets of my jacket.

Finally, we arrived at a place near a small apartment complex. Waiting near the corner of the building was a man with dreadlocks, dressed somewhat formally but not too much.

"Tom-san," Shizuo said in greeting. He looked over at me. "Reido. This is Tanaka Tom. Tom-san, this is Reido, my sister."

Unlike my encounter with Shinra-san and Celty-san, Tanaka-san was only a little bit surprised when Shizuo introduced me. He didn't seem surprised at the prospect that Shizuo had a sister.

"Nice to meet you," Tanaka-san said. "Shizuo's only talked about you once when I asked if he had any family." I nodded silently in reply. To my surprise, Tanaka-san laughed. "You two really are alike."

People say that a lot. Are we really that much alike?

Though I waited at the end of the stairs, Shizuo and Tanaka-san went to one of the rooms on the second floor of the apartment complex. From the sounds of it, there was a fight. A one-sided fight, probably. I wondered what Tanaka-san did for a living while I was waiting.

Finally, when Tanaka-san and Shizuo came down, Shizuo's hair seemed a little bit out of place. I came up to him. "I take it you won."

Shizuo blinked in surprise before smiling in a way that seemed like a smirk. "Yeah."

Apparently, Tanaka-san was a debt collector, and Shizuo was his bodyguard due to his reputation in the city. I followed the two around to more locations. At one point, I had taken a good look at one of the people Tanaka-san was meeting from behind Shizuo, and for some reason, my appearance had scared the person enough to cooperate without any issues.

Tanaka-san had gotten a good laugh out of that. "Word that Shizuo has a sister will spread very quickly, I'm sure," he said. "You two look too alike for your own good."

There it was again.

Eventually, when night had fallen, Tanaka-san bid farewell to the two of us and we parted ways. Shizuo and I walked back to his apartment in a somewhat comfortable silence. It wasn't too awkward, which was an improvement.

Finally, Shizuo spoke up.

"Hey, Reido."

I looked over at Shizuo. "Yes?"

"Have you heard that there's supposedly a new urban legend around?"

"I think I saw something this morning. Why?"

Shizuo looked over at me. "Because this new legend is being nicknamed Zero."

I almost faltered. Almost. The panicky feeling was about to rise again, but I kept my composure calm. "That's nice."

Shizuo's form stiffened slightly. "From the looks of the video, they were dressed in red."

I almost faltered again. There was a video?

Shizuo looked away, his shoulders hunched. "If you want to say something, say it."

I continued to stare at him for a bit before looking at the ground. The panic was rising even faster."I don't know," was all I said.

My brother seemed to stiffen even more, but he didn't say anything else.

The panicky feeling was rising even more. I also felt something else. Guilt, I think. Did I hurt Shizuo's feelings? I wasn't sure if I would be able to tell him about it yet. But if I held it off for this long, would I ever be able to tell him? What if he-

 _He won't_ , Eri cut off. Her voice was calm.

Finally, I took a deep breath and opened my mouth. "Nii-san, I-" But someone's voice rang out, drowning out my quiet one.

"Shizu-chan!"

Shizuo instantly bristled, a scowl rising onto his face. "Izaya!"

Izaya? As in the Izaya that Shizuo so clearly hated and wrote about in his letter on how much Shizuo would have liked to kill him?

 _Yes, that Izaya_ , Eri said.

I looked up to see a man in black with a smirk on his face. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't think of where I would have seen him before.

"Such a surprise to find you here, Shizu-chan!" Izaya exclaimed with a smile. "Who's this with you?" His dark eyes shone with mirth and mischief. I found myself being irritated by him instantly, which was a surprise. It was fairly hard to get on my nerves. Especially if I had just met someone.

Shizuo stepped forward and in front of me, blocking my view of Izaya. "I thought I told you to stay out of Ikebukuro!" I could see his jaw clench, his fist shaking slightly, and his entire form was tense. Everything about Shizuo's body language screamed that he was furious, but he wasn't acting on that fury.

That was odd.

In the past, Shizuo was always one to act first and think later. I wonder why he wasn't doing that right now.

Izaya stepped toward us. "You didn't answer the question, Shizu-chan!" He flicked his wrist, and to my increasing irritation, a flip-blade appeared in his hand. "I wouldn't have expected a young woman to be hanging out with a monster like you~"

A what?

Izaya flicked his wrist again, hurling the blade toward Shizuo's face. Shizuo was about to react, but I was faster. I stepped forward and grabbed the knife by the handle just before it would have hit Shizuo. In the span of barely a few seconds, I shifted the knife in my hands and hurled it back at Izaya.

He was able to react, but not fast enough. He leaned a little to the side just as the knife grazed his cheek and slammed into the street sign behind him.

I looked up to face Izaya. My eyes bore into him.

"Huh?" My voice was deathly calm. Eri and Mamoru stirred, ready to lash out should the need arise. I took a step toward Izaya.

"Shizuo? Nii-san? A monster?"

Another step.

"That's not possible."

Izaya blinked in surprise, and I could see the slightest bits of his confidence slip away. He tensed, blood slowly running down his cheek from where the knife had cut him.

I stepped closer until he was right in front of me. His eyes were brown, and they held interest, fascination, and shreds of unease.

"The only monster in this family," I said, a cold anger continuing to rise in me. There was no sense of panic, no sense of unease from saying what I was going to say. "Is me."

I didn't notice Shizuo stepping back, his eyes wide. I didn't notice bystanders suddenly beginning to shiver. I didn't realize that I was sending true, genuine bloodlust into my anger directed towards Izaya.

And finally, I walked past Izaya without looking back. I paused for a little to call out, "Nii-san. Let's go." I heard footsteps, and when Shizuo was next to me, I continued to walk.

It was only until months later when I was talking with Izaya that I found out that when I had walked away, Izaya had let out the breath he had been holding in.

I had scared him.

* * *

 **A/N: So sorry for the later update! Writer's block completely killed me, and I should really prewrite just about everything.**

 **Zaoyu = encounter**

 **Either way, more character's have been introduced, and I hope you like this chapter! I'll try to stick to the schedule of my chapter updates.**


	12. Zàicì

When I finally trailed off, unused to talking for such a long period of time, I couldn't look Shizuo in the face.

How could I?

Shizuo was quiet. Eri was quiet. So was Mamoru. But they weren't quiet in the way humans were. I could feel the rustle of their spirits through my jacket and my scarf. The aura that was always there. That showed they were inhabiting the pieces of clothing and had stayed with me for so long.

I stared at my left hand, where small, crescent-shaped cuts stood out on my skin. Midway during my talk, Mamoru had quietly alerted me to the fact that I was digging my nails so hard into the palm of my hand I had started bleeding. I had wiped the blood off before Shizuo had seen it.

I had a feeling Shizuo had seen it anyway.

"Reido," he said.

My hand twitched. Shizuo's voice was quiet but calm. There was no disdain or resentment in his voice. No anger. It was hard to place, but his voice sounded…sad.

Sad.

"I don't feel any different."

I stirred. I almost looked up at him.

"So what if you're an assassin?" he continued. "You're my sister, right?"

Finally, I looked up. My red hair hung across my eyes. I brushed them aside. Shizuo's hands were clasped together, his elbows leaning onto his knees. We were in his apartment, the two of us sitting on his couch. I was leaning against the arm of the couch, my knees pressed against my chest.

"I killed people," I murmured.

"And?"

I blinked in surprise. I had never been sure of what I had expected from Shizuo once I would tell him about everything. I suppose I had expected something, well, something different.

 _Hush. He's your brother, isn't he? Have some faith in him_ , Eri chided.

 _I like him_ , Mamoru said.

I looked away and scoffed lightly. "I guess I didn't expect you to seem so passive." I turned to slide my legs off of the couch. "Since you're always short-tempered."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow. "You're my sister."

And that was that.

"The two spirits you talked about," Shizuo started. "Eri and Mamoru, right?" I nodded in reply, having a feeling of what he was going to ask. "Do you want to see them?" I said. My brother nodded, and the aura of the two spirits warmed as they began to talk.

 _Hm. It's been a while since we willingly showed ourselves to someone on purpose_ , Eri mused.

 _Shizuo-san is her brother,_ Mamoru said in reply. _So what if we were to show ourselves to him?_

Ignoring their discussion, I unzipped my jacket and pulled my scarf from my neck. I wondered if Eri was going to assume her feline form instead of her reptilian form, but I doubted it. To Eri, first impressions mattered, and in this case, it did.

I unceremoniously tossed the jacket to the ground and the scarf on the nearby coffee table. Before our eyes, the fabric shifted, and in place of the jacket and scarf was a dog and snake, respectively.

A gentle sort of awe arose on Shizuo's face. Mamoru padded up to Shizuo and nudged his hand with his nose. Shizuo blinked at the sudden interaction, but a ghost of a smile crossed his face. He placed his hand on Mamoru's head and looked at Eri.

Eri had raised her head, observing Shizuo with glittering red eyes. Her scales were pristine, shining more than usual.

She really did love those first impressions.

Finally, Shizuo spoke.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister," he murmured softly.

I snapped my head over to him in surprise, my eyes widening ever so slightly. Shizuo then looked over at me.

"His fur is very soft."

Something flickered in my chest. At the time, I wondered what it was. I could only nod quietly in agreement to Shizuo's statement.

"Indeed he is."

* * *

 **Shiri: hey, hey, did u hear about the newest urban legend?**

 **Kiokui-san: u mean Zero? the person in red?**

 **Tey-tey: i heard that zero beat up a bunch of thugs during the night**

 **AA: really? i thought that Zero hijacked a truck full of drugs**

 **Tey-tey: that could b true**

 **jiji: apparently someone's been saying that zero is connected 2 us dollars**

 **Shiri: really?**

 **Kiokui-san: yeah but Zero's just been around 4 a few nights the rumors might die down**

 **jiji: or they could get worse**

* * *

 _Rumors really go around really quickly_ , Mamoru muttered.

 _Especially since what sparked it was a single video. The fact that you got_ caught _on video is surprising enough_ , Eri added on.

I sighed and shut off my phone. "I was a bit rusty," I muttered, stowing the phone in the pocket of my jacket. "It had been a while since I went out like that." I stood from my bed and walked out of my room. I found Shizuo in the kitchen, a lizard on his head and a dog padding around his feet.

"I'm going out," I said shortly, stopping by the doorway.

Shizuo looked over at me. He was cooking something for dinner. Having stayed with him for the past few days, I knew my brother wasn't a bad cook. Fairly good, if I had to be honest. I had wanted to cook since I was technically the guest in his house, but Shizuo insisted that he would cook for the two of us.

On top of that, Mamoru and Eri now freely assumed their animal forms and lounged around the house as much as possible. I often found Eri either on my head or Shizuo's in her lizard form.

Now that I wasn't constantly wearing my jacket and scarf, I had started wearing the clothes that Shizuo had recently gotten for me. They were all dark shades. I was currently wearing a loose dark gray turtleneck and black jeans.

"Ah," Shizuo said. "Okay." I could hear the curiosity and questioning tone in his voice. Given the discussion I had had with him the previous night, I knew what he was thinking.

"It's not that," I said.

"Oh. Okay," Shizuo said. Shreds of relief leaked into his expression, and he turned away.

"Eri, Mamoru," I called, heading for the front door.

As I sat down to pull on boots, Mamoru padded over and made a show of licking my face. I gently pushed him away as Eri scuttled onto my hand. I slung my scarf around my neck and pulled on my jacket.

"I'll be back soon," I called out just as I shut the door.

As I walked the streets of Ikebukuro, now getting familiar due to my nightly excursions and more days exploring, I inhaled the cool night air. A faint breeze nudged my red locks, and I burrowed my hands into the pockets of my jacket.

"I'd rather people not sneak up on me."

The person who was walking up behind me suddenly stopped. A smile broke out on his face. "What a surprise! You're certainly more than meets the eye."

I turned around, irritation beginning to rise up within me. "Orihara. What're you doing here?"

Izaya feigned a look of hurt. "Whatever do you mean? Surely I'm allowed to walk the streets of this city."

More irritation.

"What I mean is why are you following me," I snapped. Izaya still smiled, and I resisted the urge to smack him in the face.

 _Hush. It's supposed to be bad etiquette to smack someone in public like that_ , Mamoru murmured.

I knew that.

 _Oh, you and your pacifistic ways. Rei, go ahead and smack him_ , Eri said.

I exhaled.

And promptly turned around to continue walking.

 _Pft. He looks surprised_ , Mamoru snickered.

Eri sent a thought into my mind, and I rolled my eyes. The two of them didn't use their ability to send images into my head, but the image of a surprised look on Izaya's face was something that was worth using their power for.

Izaya skidded back into my view, and I stopped walking, glaring at him.

"What," I snapped.

"I'm quite curious, you know," Izaya said. "What's your relationship with Shizu-chan, by the way?"

I stared at the man. I was tempted to tell him that he was an information broker and that he should know, but I didn't want to give him a reason to dig around in my past.

Anything but that.

"Shouldn't you already know," I said flatly. "Did you not hear what I called him yesterday. And don't call him that."

"Hm, yes I did," Izaya drawled, his eyes flashing in a way that made me really more irritated. "But I could have never imagined that man to have another sibling. I'm sure I would've known. Why is it that you're not legally recorded as Shizu-chan's sister?"

 _That's it. Punch his lights out, Rei_ , Mamoru snapped. My jacket seemed to warm ever so slightly. If I wasn't already used to how influencing Mamoru's aura was, I probably would have hit Izaya.

"Has anyone tried to kill you, Orihara?"

Izaya placed his hands on the back of his head and hummed. "Of course. I'm sure you'll probably try to in the future. Right, Zero?"

My jacket grew hotter.

So did my scarf.

I took a step forward, my expression blank. "Don't call me that," I said, my voice devoid of emotion but holding an edge to it.

Izaya smiled, leaning close to me. I could see the amusement and fascination in his brown eyes. This time, he wasn't intimidated by me. Probably because this time, he was prepared for anything that was going to happen. "Then what should I call you? I never got a name from you, _Zero_."

I was vaguely aware of the fact that a knife had appeared in my hand nearest to the tail of my scarf. Hidden underneath the sleeve of my jacket, Izaya wouldn't see it. I was tempted to stab him right there and then, but we were in public. I willed the knife to meld back into the fabric of my scarf.

I really didn't want to tell Izaya my name. It felt like I would be complying with a request of his, and the idea of that really pissed me off.

But looking more closely, I could see that Izaya was lying.

"You already know, don't you," I said. "If Celty-san is a transporter and you're an information broker, you two would have most likely already met in the time after I visited her." And finally, at that, I stepped around Izaya and started walking again.

Izaya called out after me. "I hope we see each other again, Reido-chan!"

"I don't," I snapped. "Drop that honorific."

* * *

I slammed the door closed after me.

"Nii-san," I called out as Mamoru leaped onto the floor and Eri scuttled onto my head. "Orihara is an asshole."

Shizuo huffed. "I know."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Here's another chapter!**

 **Zaici = again**

 **Hope you enjoyed this new chapter!**


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